Amazing Images of Giant Australian Green Tree Frog Attempting to Swallow a Snake

Though widely shared, the story behind the photo and its photographer had been a mystery.

Before a big storm strikes in North Queensland, Australia, Julie-Anne O’Neill says the air outside begins to teem with life.

“Everything goes ballistic. It’s like a feeding and mating frenzy,” she says.

Snake Eaten by Frog Appears to Be Letting Out Last Scream

In 2011, O’Neill was taking a late evening walk on one such night. She was carrying a large flashlight called a dolphin torch with which she hoped to observe how the local wildlife reacted to the coming storm.

It was on this walk that she took the photo that she would later call the crown jewel of her collection of nature images. She heard her subject it before she saw it: a loud screeching that seemed familiar and yet foreign at the same time.

On the ground in front of her was the largest Australian green tree frog she had ever seen.

“It opened its mouth, and I thought ‘Oh my gosh; what the heck!'” she remembers.

In the frog’s mouth, a small brown snake was sliding backwards down the amphibian’s gullet. The snake was still franticly trying to slither back out.

Getting the Shot

O’Neill was used to seeing these green tree frogs on the property where she lived. They’re commonly found throughout Australia, but it was the first time she had seen one attempt to eat anything other than an insect. (Watch how green tree frogs attempt to eat snakes twice their size.)

Initially, she was stunned by the sight, but then she remembered the new digital camera she had bought for just such a moment. O’Neill claims she wasn’t trying to be a photographer for photography’s sake. Instead, she wanted to document some of the stranger things she had been seeing in the wild.

“I would say something to someone and they would go ‘Oh that’s bullshit Jules,’ so I thought I’d get a camera and take photos.”

Once back outside with her camera in tow, she found the tree frog had climbed up a wicker basket and was perched on the edge.

“I was still getting used to the Canon. My fingertips had gone numb from holding the shutter down,” she remembers. Holding her large flashlight over her head, it required multiple attempts to get a clear view of the snake still stuck inside the frog’s mouth. “When I finally cracked off the shot it felt like victory.”

Surprising Survivor

At the time, O’Neill was convinced the frog was going to die. Puncture wounds dotted the frog’s tongue and, with the snake still viciously wriggling, she assumed the amphibian’s unusual meal would be its last.

But in the morning, the frog was still there. Green tree frogs were a common sight for O’Neill; she’d even seen one crawl out of her toilet after it presumably swam up her pipes, but she recognized this one by its massive size. Picking it up, she said it filled both her palms.

When she posted the photo onto Google+ in 2011, O’Neill thought it might be popular, but she didn’t expect the massive following it eventually accumulated on various social websites, Reddit chief among them.

When National Geographic reported on this photo earlier in October, O’Neill was stunned to learn just how popular her photo had become. (Read the original story, and learn more about green tree frogs.)

While she says the attention has been overwhelming, she’s happy people are enjoying the photo as much as she has and that she’s finally getting her credit.

 

Met

Related Posts

Watch the ѕtᴜппіпɡ video of a massive crocodile, a master of underwater һᴜпtіпɡ, effortlessly snatching a boar, renowned for its agility. The ᴜпexрeсted feat has left viewers and experts Ьаffɩed, redefining our understanding of this crocodile’s һᴜпtіпɡ ргoweѕѕ.

Astounding and mystifying footage has emerged from the һeагt of South Africa’s renowned Kruger National Park, showcasing an unprecedented event that has left wildlife experts and spectators…

A tourist encountered an ᴜпfoгtᴜпаte day when confronted by a lovesick, towering elephant. The roar and growl of the engines emphasized the perilous nature of the situation. Would this сoɩoѕѕаɩ elephant cease its advance?

Hendry Blom was one of the somewhat fortunate guests who were not on the truck. He shared his experience and footage of the sighting with us. Scroll…

This can be called the laziest family in the world when they want to cross the river, but think of ѕtгапɡe wауѕ to not get wet.

This family of baboons really wanted to cross the river without getting wet, so they ran and jumped in the funniest of wауѕ to try and stay…

Despite being on tһe Ьгіпk of starvation, the old lion relentlessly ѕtаɩked the elephant mother and her baby for over 24 hours, even after the calf had perished. What compelled the lion to рeгѕіѕt in the fасe of the grieving elephant mother’s ѕᴜffeгіпɡ, ultimately prioritizing its own survival?

The eпсoᴜпteг between the mother elephant and the lion, Kiok, unfolded as a poignant yet stark гemіпdeг of the unyielding laws of nature. For over 24 hours,…

The antelope family falls into a deаd end when there are extremely ѕсагу ргedаtoгѕ on the shore or in the water. But somehow miraculously, they got through without any ɩoѕѕ

A waterbuck narrowly eѕсарed being eаteп alive three times, after being сһаѕed by a pack of wіɩd dogs, ѕпіffed oᴜt by a crocodile, and аttасked by a…

Unbelievable: Mutant Baby Born with Kangaroo Traits and ᴜпіqᴜe Gait сарtᴜгed on Video

Shyyouhe, a breeder from Henan village in Shandong province, China, was astonished when he encountered a ᴜпіqᴜe calf unlike anything he had seen in over a decade…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *